Patch applying mechanism



15, 1944. STAUDE 2,341,956

PATCH APPLYING MECHANISM Filed July 22, 1943 32, INVENTOR. [am/26287440? pr 2W A7' TORNE Y5 Patented Feb. 15, 1944 UNETED STATES EATEZNT amass OFFICE 2,341,956 ATC rr Ne MECHANISM Edwin G. Staude, Minneapolis, Application July 22, 1943, Serial No. 495,713

2 Claims.

The present invention relates to improvements severed sections to box blank units, to form win- I dows or linings, or patches for said units.

In a machine of the general type referred to, there is provided means for advancing the, box blanks or other sheet units employed towards an assembly or sheet applying station, means for cutting the advancing flexible web into. sheets. or sections of predetermined length, and. means for successively feeding the section from said cutting? means towards said assembly. station in timed relationship with the advancing blanks to effect registering adhesive application of said sections to said blanks at said station. In machines of this general type, there is provided a cutter for severing the flexible web into. sections, and a cylindrical feed drum cooperating with said cut-. ter to out said web into sections, and adapted to advance the severed sections successively to the assembly. station where they are applied to the box blank or. other sheet units employed. It is important with this type of machine that thesevered web sections are retained on said drum in predetermined spaced relationship against slippage as they are advanced to the assembly station.

The use of suction on the. feed drum has been suggested for the purpose of retaining the severed web sections against slippage as said sections are advanced between the cutting station and the assembly. station. However, the use of suction for this purpose entails certain disadvantages. For. example, a vacuum system is expensive to install and operate, since it requires a vacuum pump, vacuum conduit connections and sealing devices to prevent leakage. The use of a vacuum for the purpose indicated also involves the drilling of. a large number. of small suction holes'in the feed drum, thereby adding materially to the cost of manufacture. Furthermore, these suction holes become clogged with lint and dirt, and require frequent cleaning. This cleaning operation is tedious and time-consuming, and cuts down materially on the production of the machine. In addition, it is necessary periodically to take the feed drum apart and remove the lint and wax coating of the paper from the inner walls of the vacuum conduits.

Also, in a suction feed drum, it is necessary to provide means whereby the air current is reversed at intervals to blow theweb section off the surface of the feed drum as they join their respective blanks or sheet units. To provide for such alternate reversal of air current through the suction holes of the feed drum, additional expensive equipment is required. Furthermore, such alternate pressure operations materially slow down the speed of production oi the ma chine. Moreover, upon reversal of the air cur- I rent from a vacuum condition to a pressure condition, oil from the vacuum system may find its way to the surface of thefeed drum, and thereby soil the web sections thereon.

One object of the present invention is to. provide new and improved patch applying cylinder constructed to permit the effective use of stripping fingers for positivelyremoving the severed thin fiexiblesheets from said cylinder after said sheets have contacted the respective articles to which they are applied.

Another object is'to provide, a new and improved sheet feeding and stripping mechanism which iscomp aratively simple and inexpensive to manufacture, which requires a minimum of care and attention, which lends itself to high speed operation and which is highly effective for the intended purpose.

A further object is toprovide a new and improved sheet feeding drum, constructed to efiectively retain sheets thereon for advancement between a rotary cutter and an assembly station without the use of suction, and having means whereby the sheets are positively stripped oil said drum after their application to respective sheet units without interfering with the cutting function of said drum in cooperation with said rotary cutter.

In carrying out the. features of the present invention, the use of vacuum for retaining the sheets or severed web sections on the feed drum is dispensed with, and the severed web sections are. made to travel circumferentiallywith the feed drum by means of a device yieldably pressing said sections against the drum periphery and driven in unison with the peripheral surface of said drum, so that the advancing severed web sections are frictionally retained against slippage in their proper positions on said surface. After the leadn s. o t w t ons. have. been app i to the box blanks or other sheet units employed in this device, suctorial attraction or attraction due to, static electricity may tend to continue .the travel of these sections with the feed drum as they are advanced away from the assembly station. To prevent this adverse operation, the feed drum is provided with a series of shallow circumferential grooves for the purpose of allowing air to enter therein behind the web sections and thereby facilitate the pulling of said sections from the drum surface.

The tenacity of the adhesiv between the severed web sections and the box blanks or other sheet units at the point of application is ordinarily sufiicient to pull said sections away from the periphery of the circumferentially grooved drum. However, there may be web sections which will not attach themselves to the sheet units but will be carried with the feed drum beyond the point of assembly or application as the result of static electrical attraction. This is especially true in cases where the severed web section employed has an unglued leader at its forward end.

A device is provided for positively strippin the web sections from the feed drum periphery after the leading'ends thereof have been applied and adhesively attached to the box blanks or other sheet units employed. This device comprises one or more fingers extending into the respective circumferential drum grooves beyond the assembly station, and serving to strip or peel oif the web sections from the drum periphery as they move beyond said station. I

The feed drum is provided with one or more anvil or platen bars which are adapted to cooperate with the knife or knives of the rotary cutter to sever the flexible web into sections, and which are radially set into longitudinal grooves inwardly of the outer cylindrical drum surface a sufi'icient distance to prevent their interference with the stripping fingers.

Various other objects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following particular description, and from an inspection of the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 shows diagrammatically a machine embodying the features of the present invention, parts of this machine being shown in vertical section and parts in side elevation;

Fig. 2 is a detailed section of the machine taken approximately across a stripping finger radially of the feed drum in one rotative position of said drum; and

Fig. 3 is a detailed section of the machine similar to that shown in Fig. 2, but with the feed drum in a, different relative position.

Only those parts of the complete machine involving the novel features of the present invention are shown in the drawing, the other parts not shown being similar to those disclosed in my Patent No. 2,291,841. In this machine, the thin flexible web A of Cellophane, glassine or other sheet material is continuously advanced from a reel (not shown) at a predetermined speed over' an idler roll I!) and under a loop forming roll II to the cutting field C of two coacting rotary cutting heads l2 and I3, where said web is cut into sections or sheets B of predetermined lengths. These web sections B are then engaged by a friction belt device M which yieldably presses said sections against the periphery of the lower rotary cutting head i3, and which is positively driven at a linear speed corresponding to the peripheral speed of said rotary head l3 to advance the severed web sections B without slippage toward an assembly station D.

The sheet material E is advanced towards the assembly station D desirably in the form of separate sheet units, and may specifically consist of blanks having respective openings with bordering streaks of adhesive over which the severed sheet or web sections B are successively attached as said web sections and said blanks come into respective registry to form windows for said openings or linings for the blanks in case no openings are provided in said blanks. These sheet units or blanks E are fed successively along a conveyor system l5 in predetermined spaced relationship to meet the advancing web sections B respectively at the assembly station D.

The web A is normally delivered to the cutting station C at a linear speed which is less than the peripheral speed of the rotary cutting heads l2 and i 3 and therefore said web before being severed slips on the surface of the cutting head i3. At the cutting station C at the instant when the knives l 8 out against the anvils 23, the web A must travel at the peripheral speed of the rotary cutting heads i2 and I3. To allow for this periodic increase in the speed of web feed, the loop, forming roll II is caused to rise in synchronism with the cutting action, after which said roll slowly returns downwardly to establish the loop in the web A in preparation for the next cut-off period, as shown and described in my prior patent.

The upper rotary cutting head I 2 is in the form of a cylinder fixed to a shaft [6 and having one or more longitudinal grooves l1, three being shown spaced apart. Knife blades i8 are adjustably secured in respective grooves I! with their outer bevel cutting edges projecting radial- 1y outwardly beyond the periphery of the rotary head [2, in a manner shown in my prior patent.

The lower rotary cutting head I3 i in the form of a cylindrical drum which is shown substantially larger in diameter than the upper cylindrical head l2 it being understood, however, that both cutting heads may be of the same diameter. Drum I 3 is fixed to a shaft 20 driven in synchronism with the shaft 16 to cause the two rotary heads l2 and I3 to rotate at the same peripheral speed. This cylindrical drum l3 carries one or more anvil or platen bars 22, three being shown, which are inserted in respective longitudinal grooves 23 in said drum, and which move into contact with the cutting edges of the blades I! on the cutting head i2 at intervals, adjust-. ably to cut the web A at the desired transverse sections. These platen bars 22 are removably retained in their respective grooves 23 by any suitable means, as for example by set screws (not shown).

The cylindrical drum l3 serves not only as a rotary cutting head, but also as a feed drum for advancing the severed web sections B successively between the two operating stations C and D. The friction belt drive l4 cooperating with the feed drum l3 to advance the severed web sections B between the two stations C and D, is similar to that shown in my prior patent, and comprises generally an endless tape belt 25 extending around a drive pulley 26 and over a series of idler pulleys 21 in yieldable contact with a substantial portion of the periphery of the drum 13 between said stations. Two or more of these belt units may be provided individually adjustable laterally of the path of feed of the web sections B.

As the box blanks E or other sheet units employed are advanced along the conveyor i 5 towards the assembly station D, the web sections B move towards said station into registry with respective sheet units E where they are applied to the adhesively coated faces of said sheet units.

Suction attraction due tothe absence of airbetween the web sections 3 and the peripheral surfaceof the feed drum I31 may cause said sections toovercome the tenacity of the adhesive and follow the periphery of the feed 'drum [3 beyond the assembly station-D. Toprevent such action, the feed drum I3 is provided; with a 88 ries of circumferential grooves 30 which allow the air to enter behind the severed web sections B on the feed drum l3, and thereby reduce or break up any suction tending to attract said sections to said feed drum.

In spite of the use of the circumferential grooves 3!] for the purpose indicated, the static in the feed drum 13 may be sufficient to cause the web section B to follow the periphery of said feed drum beyond the assembly station D. To prevent this adverse condition, there is provided beyond the assembly station D a stripping device 3i comprising a plurality of stripping fingers 32 extending into respective circumferential drum grooves 3% with a fit loose enough to permit rotation of the drum l3 without frictional interference or resistance from said fingers. These stripping fingers 32 are desirably in the form of plates secured by studs or bolts or rivets 33 to respective holders or brackets 34 which are clamped to a rod 35, by screws 3 3a, along which said holders may be adjusted according to the desired position of the stripping fingers.

Each of these fingers 32 has an inner edge 35 conforming substantially in curvature with the contour of the base of the circumferential drum grooves 30, and an outer cam edge 31 which converges towards said inner edge to a stripping extremity near the assembly station D, and which serves to move and guide th stripped web sections away from the periphery of the drum l3 as these are advanced beyond the assembly station D. The outer cam edge 31 is also of such a contour that when a holder 34 for some reason becomes loose on the rod 35 and drops down on the conveyor l5, the point of the corresponding stripper finger 32 will not dig into the moving conveyor i5, since the cam edge 31 will strike the conveyor first and thus hold this point out of contact with said conveyor.

The number of stripping fingers 32 which may be employed may vary according to the width of the web sections B to be stripped. In an ordinary case, three stripping fingers 32 are sufficient.

To prevent the interference of the stripping fingers 32 with the platen bars 23 as these travel past these stripping fingers, the platen bars 22 are set inwardly from the outer periphery of the feed drum l 3 with their outer longitudinal cutting edges extending substantially flush with the bases of their corresponding retaining grooves 30.

The outer edge of each cutting anvil 23 must be on the pitch line of the driving gears. This is accomplished by increasing the diameter of the drum :3 beyond the pitch diameter of its corresponding drive gear by twice the depth of the groove 30. In practice, the depth of this groove 39 would only be about a of an inch, and the full depth of this groove would extend radially outwardly beyond the outer edge of the anvil 23. In this manner, the cutting elements I8 and 23 will travel with the web A at the instant of cutting without slippage between these elements.

The side walls is of the longitudinal or axial grooves 23 extending outwardly beyond the platen bars 22 are desirably flared outwardly to movement. of. the knife-blades, i 82 into cutting contact with-the. outer longitudinal cutting edges of the platen bars 22; and to prevent sharp bend,- ing of the web A during cutting action. The outer longitudinal corners of the side groove walls lll are desirably rounded off to prevent the web A fromrbeingcut, bent sharply or otherwise iniuredalon h se o ne ur n t n a ii The platen cutting bars 22-;are shown arranged in a manner similar to that indicated in my prior patent, and these may be increased or decreased in number, and/or the cutting blades I8 may be rearranged, increased or decreased according to the desired length of the web sections B to be cut. The number of platen cutting bars depends upon whether only one sheet or two or three sheets are required to be severed per revolution of the drum [3. Obviously, where no severing is required, at any particular platen bar, such platen bar is either removed from the drum or lowered out of cutting contact. A similar situation obtains with respect to the cutting knives in cylinder !2. Those sections of the feed drum l3 which normally come opposite the knives l8, but which do no cutting are provided with longitudinal grooves 4| to permit said knives to pass without marring the web A or the knives.

I have described what I believe to be the best embodiments of my invention. I do not wish, however, to be confined to the embodiments shown but What I desire to cover by Letters Patent is set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A machine for combining thin flexible sheets severed from a web to flat articles, comprising means for feeding a web, a web severing cylinder having cutting knives arranged axially on the periphery of said cylinder, a co-acting sheet applying cylinder having annular grooves in its periphery, cutting anvils co-acting with said cutting knives in said web severing cylinder, and arranged axially on said sheet applying cylinder, the outer surface of said anvils being so mounted that they do not extend outwardly beyond the bottom ofsaid annular grooves, the thin flexible severed sheets being retained on the periphery of said sheet applying cylinder without substantial.

slippage for a part of the revolution of the sheet applying cylinder and being advanced thereby towards an assembly station where said sheets are applied by said latter cylinder to respective flat articles and stripper fingers operating in the annular grooves of said sheet applying cylinder over the cutting surface of said cutting anvils to prevent winding of said flexible sheets around said sheet applying cylinder.

2. A machine for cutting a web of thin flexible material into sheets and applying these sheets to respective flat articles comprising a web severing cylinder having a cutting knife arranged on the periphery of said cylinder lengthwise thereof with its cutting edge extending radially outwardly beyond the periphery of said cylnder, a sheet advancing and applying cylinder having a plurality of circumferential axially spaced grooves, said sheet advancing and applying cylinder also having a longitudinal peripheral groove and a cutting anvil retained in said longitudinal groove with its outer longitudinal cutting edge set radially inwardly from the outer periphery of said sheet applying cylinder, said cutting anvil being adapted to come periodically into cutting contact with said knife as said cylinders are rotated and to move with said knife and said web at the inafford the necessary space for; the progressive stant of cutting, means for feeding a web of thin flexible material between said cylinders into thecutting field of said knife and said anvil, whereby said web is cut into sheets, means for advancing thecut web sheets in unison with the periphery of said sheet applying cylinder away from the web cutting field of action and towards an assembly station where said sheets are applied by said latter cylinder to respective flat articles, and

stripper fingers extending into said annular 10 grooves respectively beyond said assembly station to prevent winding of said sheets around said sheet applying cylinder as they are advanced beyond said assembly station, said cutting anvil extending in said longitudinal groove with its cutting surface radially inwardly beyond said fingers to prevent interference of said fingers with said anvil.

EDWIN G. STAUDE. 

